The Guestlist with Steve Guest: 12 Highly Influential Guests sharing their Roadmaps to Success

By Steve Guest

Steve Guest is the renowned author of the global No.1 best-selling smash hit 'Top Biller - The Life of a Recruiter' and host of 'The Guestlist with Steve Guest Podcast'. He is now back with his most anticipated book release to date - 'The Guestlist'. If you want to break out of your comfort zone and achie

• Language: English
• Publisher: SGuest Publishing
• Release date: Aug 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9781916245952

Steve Guest

Steve Guest is a seasoned recruiter with 18 years of experience recruiting commercial construction top talent across the Midlands. With a passion for empowering recruiters around the world, Steve founded the successful online recruitment training platform, '12 Week Recruitment Mastery Programme'. As a best-selling author across multiple categories on Amazon, Steve has made a significant impact with his books, 'Top Biller - The Life of a Recruiter' and 'A Personal Brand Story - Top Biller to Global Mentor'. 'Top Biller' has become the highest-reviewed recruitment book on Amazon globally. Steve's drive to add value and share his journey led him to host a podcast, 'The Guestlist with Steve Guest', where he invites industry experts to share their insights and knowledge. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Steve's family remains the cornerstone of his life. He takes pride in knowing his WHY and what drives him forward daily. He lives by the mantra of building for opportunity, always studying, and looking to improve a little every day, even if it's those seemingly small 1% incremental moves forward. Steve continues to inspire and empower others to achieve their full potential.

Book preview

Introduction

What is the Guestlist with Steve Guest Podcast about?

In true podcast style, The Guestlist with Steve Guest’s ‘about’ goes a little something like this.

"Welcome to The Guestlist with Steve Guest.

Let’s prove the doubters wrong and let’s do it

together – if you are someone that wants to show

what you are made of, despite the rejection,

despite the ridicule or your own fear holding

you back then, you are in good company.

Alternatively, if YOU are happy being comfortable,

constantly sat in safe mode plodding along

then this isn’t the place for you.

If you want to ‘set the trend’, free the shackles, rise

above the rest and outperform the competition

– if you want to set a trail of success and high

performance and smash through your goals then

stick around as this will an incredible journey.

If you are here, then you are clearly seeking

more from your journey through life.

You already know you have greater potential

and a much bigger calling and that you need

to spend more of your time around the right

people. You know the type—the individuals that

motivate, inspire, empower, and challenge.

That is why this podcast was created.

Come and join us."

And I couldn’t have put it better myself!

Welcome to the world of The Guestlist, where we champion knowledge sharing and value adding. This book is for anyone who wants to expand their expertise, challenge their assumptions, and gain fresh insights that can transform their careers and lives. In the following chapters, we’ll cover various topics with our guests – leaders in Recruitment, Property, Money, NLP, High Performance, Entrepreneurship, Management and Leadership. Although these subjects may appear disparate on the surface, I purposefully haven’t put them into ‘topic order’ as they all share one crucial feature: the potential to offer valuable insights that you can apply across multiple industries and professions. By stepping outside your comfort zone and exploring new perspectives, you can unlock a world of possibilities to help you gain a competitive edge, drive innovation, and ultimately achieve massive success in your field. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, the lessons in this book will challenge you to broaden your horizons.

Why did I write this book?

I wrote this book after discovering, through my own personal branding journey, that people prefer to consume their content in different formats depending on the time of day and whether they are commuting, working out, or sitting on the beach. I recognised that The Guestlist Podcast provided a lot of value, and could reach an even larger audience in print. This book is a collection of wisdom by extraordinary people, all of whom provide incredible value and have greatly aided me along the way. If this book inspires anyone to think, I want to create a similar journey, they can use it as a resource. This book is a guide of expert information and insight that will inspire anyone involved in business, recruitment, sales, property, and more.

When I was 35 years old, I decided to embark on a ten-year ‘financial freedom plan.’ It entailed many aspects, as I wanted to advance economically. So, I set aside a sufficient amount of time to surround myself with the right people, invest in various areas, and further my education. A large part of that process was to establish a recruitment business, improve my recruitment skills, invest in real estate, and work on my growth mindset and thought processes to ensure everything was in alignment. A significant portion of the advice in this book has positively impacted that journey, and I owe a debt of gratitude to many people along the way.

My ten-year plan, more of a life journey, was to educate myself and accumulate wealth in order to achieve goals for my family and provide better opportunities for our future. Many of the people I interviewed for this podcast actively supported and assisted me.

My ten-year plan was written and put together in February 2014, inspired by the birth of my son, Ethan, in 2012. It took me a year or two to wrap my head around what being ‘a Dad’ entailed before deciding to put together a plan that would provide Ethan with an abundance of opportunities. I never wanted to have to say, We can’t afford that, We’ll never be able to do that, or That’s never going to happen.

I’d rather face the possibility of ‘failure’ to protect Ethan as he grows up and show him the right way (if I found it) and the path to avoid if it was littered with disaster.

Ethan changed my mindset because I wanted to make more money, become more successful, and generate multiple income streams from various sources so that we could earn money even while we slept. I hoped that if we ever got into trouble, whether in business, health, or anything else, we’d be able to continue fulfilling and living a healthy and happy life having generated wealth from success – whatever that looked like. I called it the ten year ‘Financial Freedom Plan’, because to me, freedom meant having enough money to pay all of our bills and necessities, such as food and shelter, and make enough money to avoid exchanging our time for it. By the age of 45, I wanted to be in a position that whatever I’d invested in and created was generating revenue that met all of our needs, allowing us to choose where and how we spent our time. If that meant going away for more than two weeks and possibly spending the entire summer somewhere, I was all for it. Being a father and having more responsibilities makes you more dynamic because you’re doing things for someone other than yourself. It evolved into a more determined motivation.

I began to educate myself. I began looking into Commodity and FX Trading, completed a 12-month mentorship programme, began investing in real estate, became a landlord, and learnt the art of buying low and selling high. I also began to read a lot more. I began by reading the autobiographies of successful people such as Sir Richard Branson and Lord Alan Sugar. Then I started reading motivational books by well-known entrepreneurs such as Tony Robbins, Darren Hardy, and Gary Vaynerchuk. I discovered that the more I surrounded myself with people who had found success and wealth and created assets that generated multiple revenue streams (both personally and virtually), the more their philosophies became a part of my journey and gave me a growth mindset.

One of the goals of ‘The Guestlist with Steve Guest Podcast’ was to find people who are wealthy, successful, and masters/experts in their fields. I wanted to talk to them to learn how they achieved their success.

Everything has the potential to be ‘an opportunity’, but you must be willing to take educated risks and move forward. One of my personality traits is that I am extremely risk averse – I never want to jump in with both feet and usually want ‘all the information’ before taking action, which isn’t always possible or plausible. So knowing that you have the right people around you to ask the right questions and get the best answers made it much easier to make informed and better decisions.

I am releasing this book nine years into my plan, raising the question, Will I meet my ten-year financial freedom plan? Of course, you could argue that I’m not far off. It remains to be seen whether I will hit my target, but one thing I know is that I am in a far better place now than I was eight years ago. It’s just getting the journey going and having a plan to start – this is the most important stage!

I’ve taken action in every area, and I’ve increased our wealth and achieved success in everything I’ve set out to do. This includes starting a recruitment business, investing in real estate, and investing in stocks and shares. My recruitment firm now employs five people. I’ve written two books, one of which has become a worldwide best-seller. Every Friday, I release a podcast episode that is currently downloaded across 40+ countries. I’m in a much better place than when I started eight years ago. My actions have enabled us to do things that I would never have been able to do if I hadn’t started the journey and put pen to paper.

However, accomplishments aside, I’ve realised that the journey has been the most important aspect. The ten-year plan is excellent to have in place, and I’ve been completely motivated to achieve the end goal, but as the end draws nearer, I realise that goals change, and the desire to achieve certain things changes as you get older. We only had one child when I first devised the ten-year plan, but now we have two – Hugo and Ethan – which adds new dimensions. In retrospect, it was and still is ALL about the journey.

Will I be happy if I achieve my ten-year plan? Of course! But, I won’t be disappointed if I don’t. When I look back over the last eight years, I’m extremely proud of where I am now. So, I’m not concerned whether it comes to fruition or not because I’ve learnt so much along the way. It hasn’t been all about success; I’ve learnt a lot from the parts that didn’t work, and that has been a huge part of the fun. The journey has taught me that you never have all the answers, that timing is never perfect, and that sometimes you just have to react and act. You can deal with the questions, problems, roadblocks, setbacks, and failures along the way, allowing you to make better decisions the next time.

I believe you require a plan, whether it is a month plan, a three-month plan, a six-month plan, a 12-month plan, a five-year plan, or a ten-year plan. When you put things in place (and write them down), you have something to strive for, which provides clarity and focus. However, don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t quite meet your goals because the journey is far more important than the destination. While it’s satisfying to say, I did it, things will change. For example, when (and if) I reach 45 and haven’t achieved every goal, I’m not going to sit down and feel sorry for myself, thinking, That was a complete waste of time. What have I accomplished in the last ten years?. Instead, I’ll examine everything and think, What am I doing? What have I accomplished? Where am I going? What have I failed to achieve? How long will it take me to accomplish what I haven’t already? and then devise another strategy and plan. The important thing is to keep going.

How should you read this book?

The advice in this book is not industry-specific; it is not simply a book on recruitment, property, or wealth; instead, it is a book filled with incredible wisdom from people I’ve met—people who have provided inspiration and motivation on my path. I feel strongly that the contents will add incredible value to your life and business.

However, one of the most common themes across all chapters is mindset. At some point, all the guests had a breakthrough and realised that a mindset adjustment had improved their lives and businesses. 100% of the people I interviewed for this book have never given up on their dreams, and neither should you. Take what you can from the wisdom in these pages, and most of all, enjoy!

Steve Guest

CHAPTER ONE

Adam Lawrence

(Property)

About Adam

Adam Lawrence has been involved in over 500 property deals in the past decade and built a substantial residential and commercial property portfolio. Adam has joint venture experience that runs into eight figures worth of deals. He has bought and sold limited companies with property assets in trading businesses, co-owns multiple investment companies, asset management companies and letting agencies as part of the business portfolio. Adam was Warwick Business School’s top MBA Dean’s List prize winner in 2012/13 and has delivered exceptional returns in a low-yield world with high-risk management at the heart of all his ventures. His first degree was in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford. He has a diverse business background with a broad range of experience, specialising in devising strategies that can thrive in any economic environment. Adam has significant team leadership experience across business and non-profit consultancy projects and particularly enjoys solving business challenges.

In Adam’s own words:

Steve: I’m trying to think back, but I believe we started talking via LinkedIn around four years ago.

Adam: Oh, I think it’s more than that, Steve. I remember the building where you first came to have a coffee with me. And we left that building in 2016.

Steve: I’ve obviously been enjoying myself too much! I reached out to you as I was looking at getting into property. I had sent out a couple of messages to potential mentors before I’d messaged you; I got a response back from a particular person who was willing to spend some time with me – someone who will remain anonymous as they wanted to charge me £500 an hour, plus the coffee. At that point, I thought it was too expensive – I certainly didn’t have £500 to spend on property education, especially when I had zero understanding. So, I sent you a message on LinkedIn and said, Could you spare me a little bit of time for me to come over and have a chat with you? Which you duly did. We spent a good hour, maybe two, sitting and having a coffee. You told me the ins and outs, and you put an offer on the table. Can you remember what the offer was?

Adam: Please enlighten me; I’ve been to sleep since then!

Steve: Your offer was, Okay, here’s the deal. I need to go and see my properties. They are dotted in and around some of the East Midlands and some just north of the Midlands. I think the furthest we went north was Doncaster. You said that you would take me around your properties, spend the day with me, that I could quiz you all I like and that you would show me the wins, the losses, the problems, and the mistakes. You talked me through each of the properties and what had happened and where in a 24-hour period. It was a day’s worth of education, for the cost of a pub lunch and a bit of petrol – easily one of the best investments I’ve ever made! What a bargain. Genuinely from the heart, I will be eternally grateful. In my experience, it’s rare to have people willing to go to such lengths and spend time with someone they don’t know. You didn’t know me, other than from a coffee and a quick chat, but you started me on a property path that gave me the basics and confidence to get started.

Adam: I really appreciate you saying that Steve, and I think it’s important. You should always pay it forward. I was paying it back from other people I’d met since I started on the property networking circuit in about 2011, and I met a handful of good people who gave me a lot of their time and expertise. So, I thought, ‘You know, it’s the way forward, reach down and help people up’. And that’s one of the reasons why we did what we did in the property networking sphere ourselves when we founded Partners in Property.

I was invited to this private networking meeting in Birmingham and thought, well, I’ll come along and see what it’s like. And there were some great people in the room, but it ran its course organically over 12 to 18 months, and then new people weren’t coming in. Our main challenge is to balance bringing in a sufficient number of new people while maintaining a base of existing members to foster relationship-building. Like a breath of fresh air, new faces are valuable as they bring a new perspective. However, it’s important to avoid overwhelming people by pushing them too much, as some educators might do. We strive to find a good balance where we can introduce new opportunities without overwhelming our members.

Being new to property doesn’t mean you’re new to business.

We get people who are new to property and perhaps just sold a business in their 60s, but they’re coming to us to learn about property. Then some people have developed or acquired hundreds of units, sold them, or held them – a real spread makes for a rich discussion. We’ve had someone join recently who’s experienced in his field – oil and gas – and he solves problems in a slightly different way. It’s interesting to hear his questions, from short leases to tenancy issues to ‘Is it better to have HMOs (house in multiple occupation) or serviced accommodation?’ etc. I have learnt a lot by watching how people think, and I enjoy it as well. It challenges me. That’s ultimately what I go there and spend my time doing. I want to be challenged, I want to continue improving myself, and I want to keep working through new ideas. And, of course, with the changing environment we’ve all had over the last couple of years, it’s been healthy. Challenges are one of the things that’s helped me work through the choppy seas.

Steve: We need the challenges to offer up constructive debate. We don’t always want people to always pander to us and say, ‘Well, you’re doing so well, or you’re successful’. You want people that say, ‘Well, why aren’t you doing it like this? Or have you thought about doing it this way? Why are you going that direction?’ So, Adam, your growth since we first met has been significant. Can you tell us more about that?

Adam: When you and I first met, Steve, I had a block of 10 flats with two commercial units underneath, which was probably more than a quarter of the units that we had in the portfolio. It was a big purchase early on, which I bought with a business partner in 2014. I had a hairdresser underneath and a beauty salon as well. I was not even educated enough to understand the difference between the two properly, but they get on very well. They managed to survive COVID, which is great, and when you think about it, it’s an interesting point. Ten years ago, some people would turn their noses up at salons and cafes, whereas now, in the ‘experience economy,’ it’s actually the best stuff you can have on a high street. You can’t get a haircut on Amazon!

Also, the male side of the grooming industry has shot through the roof in